NAPLAN Year 7 Language Conventions Practice Test

Try each question first, then open the worked solution to check your answer and see how to reach it.

1. 1.Which sentence is grammatically correct?

   • AMe and him went out.
   • BHe and I went out.
   • CHim and I went out.
   • DMe and he went out.
   Show answer and working

   Answer: B (He and I went out.)

   Use a subject pronoun (I, he, she, we, they) when the pronoun is doing the action. Test each pronoun on its own: 'He went out' and 'I went out' are both correct, so 'He and I went out' is correct. 'Me went' and 'Him went' are clearly wrong, and it is polite to put yourself last.

2. 2.Which word is spelled correctly?

   • ADefinately
   • BDefinitely
   • CDefinitly
   • DDefanitely
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   Answer: B (Definitely)

   The correct spelling is 'definitely'. It is built from the word 'finite', with the prefix de- and the suffix -ly: de + finite + ly. Remembering the word 'finite' inside it fixes the most common errors, such as writing 'definately' with an a, or dropping the e as in 'definitly'.

3. 3.Which sentence is a compound sentence?

   • AI like tea.
   • BI like tea and coffee.
   • CI like tea, but I prefer coffee.
   • DBecause I like tea.
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   Answer: C (I like tea, but I prefer coffee.)

   A compound sentence joins two independent clauses, each of which could stand alone as a sentence, with a coordinating conjunction such as and, but or so. 'I like tea' and 'I prefer coffee' are both complete, joined by ', but'. 'I like tea and coffee' is a simple sentence with one verb, and 'Because I like tea' is an incomplete fragment.

4. 4.Which word is a collective noun?

   • ABird
   • BFlock
   • CFly
   • DFeather
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   Answer: B (Flock)

   A collective noun names a group of people, animals or things as one unit. 'Flock' is the collective noun for a group of birds or sheep. Other examples are a 'team' of players and a 'swarm' of bees. 'Bird' and 'feather' are ordinary nouns, and 'fly' is usually a verb.

5. 5.Which sentence demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement?

   • AThe group of students are studying.
   • BThe group of students is studying.
   • CThe dogs runs fast.
   • DShe don't like apples.
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   Answer: B (The group of students is studying.)

   The verb must agree with the subject, not with nouns in a phrase between them. In 'The group of students is studying', the subject is 'group', which is singular, so it takes 'is'. 'Of students' simply describes the group. 'The dogs runs' should be 'run', and 'She don't' should be 'She doesn't'.

6. 6.Identify the abstract noun in this sentence: "Her courage amazed everyone."

   • AHer
   • BCourage
   • CAmazed
   • DEveryone
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   Answer: B (Courage)

   An abstract noun names a feeling, quality or idea that you cannot see or touch, such as love, fear or honesty. 'Courage' is a quality, so it is the abstract noun. 'Her' is a possessive pronoun, 'amazed' is the verb and 'everyone' is a pronoun. Try asking: can I touch it? If not, it may be abstract.

7. 7.Which word correctly completes the sentence? "The team celebrated ___ victory."

   • Ait's
   • Bits
   • Cits'
   • Dit is
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   Answer: B (its)

   'Its' without an apostrophe is the possessive form, meaning 'belonging to it': the victory belonged to the team. 'It's' always means 'it is' or 'it has', and 'The team celebrated it is victory' makes no sense. 'Its'' is never correct. Test by replacing the word with 'it is'. If that sounds wrong, use 'its'.

8. 8.Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly?

   • AThe girls' change room was freshly painted.
   • BThe girl's are playing netball.
   • CIts' a sunny day.
   • DThe dog wagged it's tail.
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   Answer: A (The girls' change room was freshly painted.)

   In 'The girls' change room', the room belongs to the girls, a plural that already ends in s, so the apostrophe goes after the s. 'The girl's are playing' wrongly uses an apostrophe for a simple plural. 'Its'' is not a word, and 'it's tail' should be 'its tail' because the tail belongs to the dog.

9. 9.Choose the word that best completes the sentence: "Neither the teacher nor the students ___ ready."

   • Awas
   • Bwere
   • Cis being
   • Dbe
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   Answer: B (were)

   With 'neither … nor', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. Here the closest subject is 'the students', which is plural, so the verb is 'were': 'Neither the teacher nor the students were ready.' If the sentence were reversed ('Neither the students nor the teacher'), the singular 'was' would be correct.

10. 10.Which sentence uses a colon correctly?

    • APack three things: a hat, sunscreen and water.
    • BPack: three things a hat, sunscreen and water.
    • CPack three: things a hat, sunscreen and water.
    • DPack three things a hat: sunscreen and water.
    Show answer and working

    Answer: A (Pack three things: a hat, sunscreen and water.)

    A colon introduces a list or explanation, and it must follow a complete clause. 'Pack three things' is complete, so the colon correctly introduces the list 'a hat, sunscreen and water'. In the other options, the colon interrupts the sentence before the clause is finished, splitting 'three things' or 'things a hat' in the wrong place.